Hi everyone! I had some free time tonight, so I was able to solve my technology issue with uploading my MILLIONS of photos. To view my photos you can go to this website:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/haileymertes/
****Go to the RIGHT hand side, you will see SETS where you can click on any of them to view the photos. Thank you & hope you enjoy; there is a lot of photos to see and I will defiantly add more over time!
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Monday, August 27, 2012
Feeling like a Celebrity...
I just got home from my first day of high school. Let me say, that my high school here is very different from my high school in America. This is a great thing!
I get to school by a cute,pink bicycle,which is about a 20 minute ride with much caution of the cars passing me. I wear a uniform consisting of a navy blue skirt past my knees and a white dress shirt. I take my backpack with a few pencils and notebooks, and my bento box ( a Japanese style lunch box).
When I got to school, I parked my bike, changed into my school slippers, and gave a small speech in the teacher`s office about myself and how excited I am to be attending Kano High School. About 4 teachers are English teachers, so they helped me get around and showed me my classroom. Japanese students stay in one room, besides for gym class, and the teachers comes to them instead of changes classes like I do in America. Once I walked into my classroom, I could feel the stares! Everybody looked at me for the whole day, but they were so sweet to me and introduced themselves to me. The girls in my class all wanted pictures of me, just of me-like it was a personal portrait photo shoot. They touched my hair and eyebrows and told me how big my eyes were. I was defiantly feeling popular HAHA!
My high school is preparing a school festival with the students, so after school I stayed to help some of my classmates prepare for this annual event. I guess it is a big deal- I will soon find out.
I love my variety of classes- English communications, calligraphy, gym, Japanese, Japanese Music studies, Study of Society, Math, Physics, Study of Future Career, and much more that I will cover in the course of a week. I hope to joing English club and I have volleyball practice tomorrow-very excited.
The only bad thing about today was the heat and humidity- you wouldn`t even believe how hot it is here, and a strict uniform does not help at all. Students carry around sweat towels to wipe their face and neck. Overall though, it was a great first day and one I will never forget. :)
I get to school by a cute,pink bicycle,which is about a 20 minute ride with much caution of the cars passing me. I wear a uniform consisting of a navy blue skirt past my knees and a white dress shirt. I take my backpack with a few pencils and notebooks, and my bento box ( a Japanese style lunch box).
When I got to school, I parked my bike, changed into my school slippers, and gave a small speech in the teacher`s office about myself and how excited I am to be attending Kano High School. About 4 teachers are English teachers, so they helped me get around and showed me my classroom. Japanese students stay in one room, besides for gym class, and the teachers comes to them instead of changes classes like I do in America. Once I walked into my classroom, I could feel the stares! Everybody looked at me for the whole day, but they were so sweet to me and introduced themselves to me. The girls in my class all wanted pictures of me, just of me-like it was a personal portrait photo shoot. They touched my hair and eyebrows and told me how big my eyes were. I was defiantly feeling popular HAHA!
My high school is preparing a school festival with the students, so after school I stayed to help some of my classmates prepare for this annual event. I guess it is a big deal- I will soon find out.
I love my variety of classes- English communications, calligraphy, gym, Japanese, Japanese Music studies, Study of Society, Math, Physics, Study of Future Career, and much more that I will cover in the course of a week. I hope to joing English club and I have volleyball practice tomorrow-very excited.
The only bad thing about today was the heat and humidity- you wouldn`t even believe how hot it is here, and a strict uniform does not help at all. Students carry around sweat towels to wipe their face and neck. Overall though, it was a great first day and one I will never forget. :)
First Rotary Meeting
Friday night I attended my first Gifu-Kanoh Rotary meeting with my host mother`s father; he is the Rotarian in the family. Everyone was happy to meet me and asked me how to pronounce my name correctly. It was pretty funny having a group of adults repeat attempts to correctly say Hailey; even though it came out as Hay-rey. I gave my speech, in Japanese, about myself, where I come from, and what I plane to learn during my year in Japan. Also, I presented my Brunswick Rotary Club flag in exchange for a Gifu Rotary flag. The Rotarians were great at helping me get settled in with school and helping me with any paperwork. YAY GO ROTARY!
The Rotary meetings in Japan are more business like and everyone dresses up. Also, the meal that is served is delicious.
Can`t wait for my next meeting, hopefully I can tell everyone about my Hiroshima adventures!!
The Rotary meetings in Japan are more business like and everyone dresses up. Also, the meal that is served is delicious.
Can`t wait for my next meeting, hopefully I can tell everyone about my Hiroshima adventures!!
Friday, August 24, 2012
Good Luck David and Ole!
Just wanted to wish my brother, David, and my host brother in America, Ole, good luck on the first day at school. I hope everything goes perfectly and you both learn something new everyday and make many friends along the way. I will definatly want to see first day photos! HAHA
Being an America in Gifu
It is quite funny being an American here! First of all, I get alot of stares since I look so different. I have even had two people take a photo of me on the street. The little Japanese kids walking with their mothers will do a double-take look at me, it is so funny and cute! My other exchange student friends will ask me to quote America movies, like Mean Girls or The Hangover, in an American accent! When I ask my host family what they think of America they say....McDonalds....Obama...Hollywood and so on. I laugh every time I think about it.
I don`t take offence and I know my host family and friends do not mean it in a mean way. We all laugh at the sterotypes of our countires!
I don`t take offence and I know my host family and friends do not mean it in a mean way. We all laugh at the sterotypes of our countires!
Starting School Soon
Monday will be my first day at Kano High School in Japan! My host mother and I got my uniform, shirt emblem, and school shoes + slippers (since you don`t wear your outside shoes into the school). My classes consists of Contemporary japanese, gym class, basic physics, math I, oral english commnication, Japanese calligraphy, classical Japanese music, English highest level, study of society, biology, Home economics, study of future career, and hygiene class. I will cover these classes in the course of a week. But the first three days of school, there were will be a festival! I will get to school by bicycle since it is up the street from my host house.
I am very excited to start school and meet all my new classmates as well as teachers. Hopefully, I will understand what is going on in my classes HAHA
I will let everyone know how my first day goes and even upload some pictures!
-Hailey
I am very excited to start school and meet all my new classmates as well as teachers. Hopefully, I will understand what is going on in my classes HAHA
I will let everyone know how my first day goes and even upload some pictures!
-Hailey
Back From My Hiroshima Trip
こんいちわ！ Sorry that I have not posted anything in a while, I have been very busy here in Japan getting settled in and ready for school . Plus, I rather not be on the computer cause there is so much for me to see here!
Last night I got back from my Hiroshima trip with my host brother, some rotarians, and other exchange students (who are living in Japan as well) from around the world. I had a GREAT time. Not only have I made new friends but I`ve learned more Japanese, tried some crazy food, noticed many cultural differances, did new fun things, and learned a ton of Japanese history. Over the 3 day trip, I took over 600 photos. Haha I AM SO NEW TO EVERYTHING!
Hiroshima is such a beautiful, advanced city. I visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum where I got too see many statues and memorials for thoes who died and asking for world peace. I learned much more in the museum than I would even in history class even though some parts of the museum where rough for me to handle, but I was so fortunate to vist such a historical place. Also, I saw and took photos of the last and only building left standing from the day of the atomic bomb; called The Atomic Bomb Dome. It was unbelieable to me that I got to see something that close that was still left from 67 years ago on the day of the atomic bomb.
Here are the other things I visited and got to do on my trip:
- Rode the bullet train to Hiroshima, know as the Shinkansen, which was SO SO SO fast
- went to Miyajima, the Shrine Island, by boat (it is part of Japan`s 3 most scenic views)
- I got to pet some deer there cause they just walk around, it was very funny
- Went to multiple shrines and learned how to properly wash hands and mouth before entering
- shopped at many cute, little shops
- ate at many new and exciting restraunts where the food was SO TASTY and some not so much...., but all the meals were prepared like fine art
- went walking around in the city of Hiroshima and stayed up all night karaoking at a karaoke place
- stayed in my own room at the Hiroshima Oriental Hotel with a beautiful view of the mountains and city
- went to the silver mines of Iwami Ginzan and visited historical village there (which was so nice!)
- stayed in a traditional Japanese style hotel, it was called Yunotsu kiun-soh where you eat on the floor, wear a summer time Kimono (the Japanese style dresses), and spa outside. It was so beautiful and very relxing there.
- Also, I went to the Hiroshima Samurai Matsue castle where there were samurai swords, outfits, and other artifacts used by Samurais
- made Japanese candy sweets :)
- and finally, I tried Purikura, which is like photo booths for Japanes girls where it makes your eyes really big and you can edit your photos. It was so cool!:)
I will never forget this trip and I`m soo happy I learned so much! You can look at the photos from the trip that I uploaded to this blog!
-Hailey
Last night I got back from my Hiroshima trip with my host brother, some rotarians, and other exchange students (who are living in Japan as well) from around the world. I had a GREAT time. Not only have I made new friends but I`ve learned more Japanese, tried some crazy food, noticed many cultural differances, did new fun things, and learned a ton of Japanese history. Over the 3 day trip, I took over 600 photos. Haha I AM SO NEW TO EVERYTHING!
Hiroshima is such a beautiful, advanced city. I visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum where I got too see many statues and memorials for thoes who died and asking for world peace. I learned much more in the museum than I would even in history class even though some parts of the museum where rough for me to handle, but I was so fortunate to vist such a historical place. Also, I saw and took photos of the last and only building left standing from the day of the atomic bomb; called The Atomic Bomb Dome. It was unbelieable to me that I got to see something that close that was still left from 67 years ago on the day of the atomic bomb.
Here are the other things I visited and got to do on my trip:
- Rode the bullet train to Hiroshima, know as the Shinkansen, which was SO SO SO fast
- went to Miyajima, the Shrine Island, by boat (it is part of Japan`s 3 most scenic views)
- I got to pet some deer there cause they just walk around, it was very funny
- Went to multiple shrines and learned how to properly wash hands and mouth before entering
- shopped at many cute, little shops
- ate at many new and exciting restraunts where the food was SO TASTY and some not so much...., but all the meals were prepared like fine art
- went walking around in the city of Hiroshima and stayed up all night karaoking at a karaoke place
- stayed in my own room at the Hiroshima Oriental Hotel with a beautiful view of the mountains and city
- went to the silver mines of Iwami Ginzan and visited historical village there (which was so nice!)
- stayed in a traditional Japanese style hotel, it was called Yunotsu kiun-soh where you eat on the floor, wear a summer time Kimono (the Japanese style dresses), and spa outside. It was so beautiful and very relxing there.
- Also, I went to the Hiroshima Samurai Matsue castle where there were samurai swords, outfits, and other artifacts used by Samurais
- made Japanese candy sweets :)
- and finally, I tried Purikura, which is like photo booths for Japanes girls where it makes your eyes really big and you can edit your photos. It was so cool!:)
I will never forget this trip and I`m soo happy I learned so much! You can look at the photos from the trip that I uploaded to this blog!
-Hailey
Friday, August 17, 2012
My Flight to Japan Couldn't Be Better!
I am currently waiting in Seoul, South Korea Incheon Airport. I have to say that it is beautiful here; the people are dressed so nice, everyone is so helpful, the airport is spotless, many high fashion stores to shop at, and finding someone who speaks English is beyond easy. I can already see the differences between American service and Asian service. I was served BiBimBap with some type of Korean green hot sauce, fruit, and sliced octopus on the flight here...so basically a meal I had to mentally prepare and motivate my self to try.HAHA For breakfast, the flight attendants were offering an egg, ham, and cheese omelet or a fish and rice meal; I decided to take my last American meal and go with the omelet. The funny part was everyone else on the plane, (Note: all Asians + one American aka ME!) , kept questioning me what this so called "omelet" was and how to pronounce it. It was very funny!
Also, I met some very interesting people on my flights; a man from China who teaches welding, a cute Japanese couple who just visited the U.S, and many people who were going to teach English classes in China.
My earlier flights (Cleveland and L.A.) went perfect as well. I got plenty of sleep and spent some time studying Japanese. My next flight is into Nagoya, Japan where my host family will meet and pick me up. I am so excited to arrive there! I have taken some pictures, and I can upload them to share later when I get the chance, assuming I will be very busy until I settle into my new home. Sayonara!
Also, I met some very interesting people on my flights; a man from China who teaches welding, a cute Japanese couple who just visited the U.S, and many people who were going to teach English classes in China.
My earlier flights (Cleveland and L.A.) went perfect as well. I got plenty of sleep and spent some time studying Japanese. My next flight is into Nagoya, Japan where my host family will meet and pick me up. I am so excited to arrive there! I have taken some pictures, and I can upload them to share later when I get the chance, assuming I will be very busy until I settle into my new home. Sayonara!
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Blogging is my new thing!
Hello everyone! I created this blog to keep all my friends and family back home updated on my travels, experiences, and memories. This way it is easier than e-mailing each person, and I will have something to look back on when I return home..which is the last thing on my mind right now! You can always check this page for plenty of photos, videos, and comments. Thank you!
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